The manual (attached) lists 40lbs as recommended max drag. I suspect the reel is capable of more drag, if the drag curve is steepened with a Belleville and/or cam mod, but it was designed to run 28lbs at strike, 40lbs at full and be spooled with straight 80lb mono.

Thanks. I do really think those drag numbers are simply calculated from the line wt it is designed to use rather than the max the reel can make. When I spooled mine with 200lb hollow braid I set the drag at 35lbs at strike with free spool and the reel made me believe it had more room to turn up the drag before I loss free spool. I've backed it down to a mere 30lbs at strike due to not wanting my arms to get yanked out of their sockets if a trophy hit the lure as I don't have a chair on my boat. I do not fish it all the way at strike nor have I had to increase it all the way to strike to land a fish as of yet. I know it has WAY more drag than I'll ever be able to effectively use but curiosity has me wondering just what it can do. I have a 130lb top shot on it so THAT limits me to ~40lbs of drag at strike. Yeah I'll set it there and fish it as a stand up rod......NOT. I've used this reel to mainly pull spreader bars made with chuggers complete with hook in the trailing lure rather than just the bar. The heavy drag has helped compensate for the drag through the water the chuggers make. It takes a pretty hefty Mahi to pull any drag once the lever gets close to strike. I haven't had a Tuna hit the spreader bar but a big Yellow Fin would be the gauge for the strike setting.

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Hi I'm Clay. Lets raise our children to beSuper Fishermen not Superficial men and women.